lonesome george

Lonesome George is the name given to the last known remnant of the species Geochelone elephantopus abingdoni, one of 11 subspecies of Galapagos tortoise native to the Galapagos Islands, among other locations. George was found on the island of Pinta in 1971 by goat hunters, and was presumably named after the character played by US actor George Gobel. Relocated to the Charles Darwin Research Station, George was penned with several females of a related subspecies, Geochelone elephantopus becki from Wolf Island, in the hopes that his genes would be retained in resulting progeny. Unfortunately, these attempts have not been successful to date. George is estimated to be 70-80 years of age, and is in good health. There is the possibility that others of his kind remain on Pinta Island, escaping observation by rangers. A prolonged effort to extirpate the introduced goats is approaching closure, which has resulted in the vegetation of the island starting to return to what it once was. It is conceivable that George may have siblings on Pinta, and that the subspecies will persist. Failing that, intergrading with similar subspecies is possible, but there is a $10,000 bounty on a confirmed female Pinta that has been offered to zoos. Genetic confirmation of a sibling would be very exciting. Galapagos tortoises may live to an age of 100-150 years.

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